Close to close

Our projected close date is April 1. Yes, I recognize the irony that that's April Fool's Day. I'm trying not to dwell on it, because that close actually works well for me work-wise. I ship my April issue on March 31st. And almost like the stars are aligned, April will be magazine ship-free. Do a little dance here because I'm going take some days off and drink in my gorgeous new home. My first home. I'm going to roam the rooms. Run my hands over the [sigh] island and white cabinets. Turn on my fireplace. Maybe do some yoga on my hardwood floors. Practice pulling in and out of my garage. Licking my lips in sweet anticipation.

Dry wall and siding go up this week.

My house bones

As promised, here are our house pictures. Or rather its bones. It's hard to imagine that this goes from being a construction of two by fours, pipes, and cement to a home that's not only beautiful but clean. I never in my life imagined that the build process is so messy. But I'm sure Michelangelo didn't break out the dustbuster while he worked either. Today during our walkthrough with the foreman, we went over our punch sheet and he explain what each of the juncture boxes, pipes, and different wiring that we were seeing was. And when he'd ask if we knew what certain things were, I didn't feign intelligence. What would it get me as a new homeowner? He was kind enough to explain the plumbing piping that's now being used instead of copper, something about our heater that I don't remember, and some other things. I couldn't help notice that he often would look at Jonathan when he talked. If he only knew that we do things pretty much 50/50. I'll be right there maintaining my home along side him.

We also got to drop in on another home that's the same model as ours just to refresh our memory as to what exactly it's all going to look like. Afterall, we haven't seen the product since we walked through the first home that made us sign a contract that day. It wasn't a model home, so there wasn't a chance for us to see it all again. I didn't take pictures because a)it wasn't my home, so I felt for sure that had to be something illegal about posting pictures of another person's home...even if they haven't taken custody, and b)I want to make you wait for the big reveal. Call me evil.

And because my sister is full of great ideas, including a creating a picture diary of our first home as it goes through the build process, I give you my house bones. Enjoy the skeleton!


The view from the front door in the foyer, looking back into the great room, dining room, and kitchen. The structure in the back is the makings of [cue dramatic music] a kitchen island.


The view from the kitchen, standing by the island, looking back into the dining room, great room, and foyer. The bedrooms and bathroom (two) are all on the right. I wonder if it could be considered a shotgun-style home.


Looking into the foyer at the front door. The stairwell on the right leads down into the basement. Not pictured is a coat closet on the right as well.


The view from the fireplace. Looking at a bathroom, linen closet, and two bedrooms.


The fireplace. [Swoon]


The island up close, looking toward the kitchen, standing in the dining room.


Looking into the kitchen. Between the two windows will be the kitchen sink. Notice the beautiful light. Something I never had in my apartment.


In the kitchen looking toward the master bedroom. In front of the master bedroom is the kitchen pantry. We widen it from the original design and I'm in heaven.


Standing in the master bedroom, looking toward the kitchen. To the left (not pictured), is the master bathroom and walk-in closet.



In the master bedroom looking at the master bathroom. The walk-in closet is off the bathroom. Strange, but I like the extra wall space in the master.

Lessons in building a home

If I were more put together (i.e. not living on my sis-in-law and future bro-in law's couch...who btw are some of the most gracious hosts on the planet...during the week and commuting an hour to get to the parental unit in laws on the weekends to squeeze in face time with my husband), there would be a picture of my house in this post. The house that's the cause for all this life upheaval. But, of course, I packed my digital camera someplace...special. So special and so intelligent of me that I can't find it. So much for organized packing.

Back to that dream house. We went on a little walk-through today to go over the most recent inspection that our inspector turned in. His list made us a little faint and start thinking things like, "What the hell do we think were doing building a new home?" or "Why are we doing this?" But after meeting with our foreman, we discovered that our inspector had actually gotten in a little too early and most "problems" were just things that had already been in process. Whew. Because we know nothing about homeownership. We know nothing about building a home. So when our inspector is using words like "tyvek short," "ceiling joist missing," or "window nails missing," it's enough to send you into a little tizzy and want to use some choice words and put some bad karma out in the world. All this made me realize I need to educate myself on the upcoming home maintenance, so I rushed out and bought Home Maintenance for Dummies. Feel free to leave your best tips in the comment section.

On the plus side, the impromptu walk-through of our framed up house was so exciting. Who knew I would get excited over, of all things, storage space. Pantry. Linen closet. Coat closet. Those are titillating words to a former tiny apartment renter.

We go on another walk-through on Thursday. Check back for pictures! Now to plan my next yoga class and read up on cleaning gutters.

Namaste!

House update

Digging starts soon. The builder says we can expect our foundation to be in place by next Friday. After that, everything moves quickly. Strange how the longest part of the process could just be waiting to get started.

They say

buying a house is as stressful as getting a divorce. If that's the case, I'm never getting a divorce. The builder has yet to break ground, but they did break ground on the spec house next to us. I thought money talked. If so, why am I in line behind no one?

I'm getting ready to bake pies tomorrow, and all I can think about is my island. This time next year, I'll be mixing and rolling out on. my. island. I get little shivers of excitement thinking of all the cooking and crafting I'm going to do there. I'm picturing the people who will sit at the other side and talk to me while cooking. Maybe with a glass of wine in hand. I heart you kitchen island. You literally are my oasis of dreams.

Our house: Just the beginning

My sister came up with this fabulous idea of taking pictures while our house goes up and eventually creating a photo book. Here's the first set that shows our little slice of staked land. Stakes in the ground mean that property is already sold. It's not much, but it's enough to get me excited. They should start digging this week.